Sleeping Beauty
by StorybrookeAuthor
Summary: In the second installment of twisted fairytales, the story follows Aurora, otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty.
1. Stolen Possessions

The sound of a woman's screams echoed throughout the dark and desolate castle ruins. Unlike the common screams of agony that circulated through the realm, these screams were the proof that new life was being brought into the world. A brunette woman with no family and no name for herself laid on a pile of hay, her faithful sister at her side helping her through the birth. She was pale with the effort, but both women knew both she and the baby would be fine. Magic, after all, is a helpful thing when the concerns of one's life are involved.

"It's going to be okay, Maleficent," The older woman whispered, soothing her hair back. "You did it. You've brought a beautiful baby girl into the world."

She carefully took the child away from the exhausted mother, going to wash her off and make her more presentable. Once she was washed, the child was wrapped in a rough cloth blanket; the best the women could give the child who was fast asleep in the first place. The only thing she would have noticed was the fact that she was now warm as she was placed into her mother's arms.

"There you are, dear sister. Now, the time comes for you to give the child a name." She watched the woman and her daughter, the faintest smile crossing her lips.

Maleficent nodded softly, giving her sister a weak smile. She was still extremely tired, but she knew she had to name the girl before she rested. Once her name was given, her fate would be laid upon her like all faeries of their realm.

"I can barely think, Laila." She whispered, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "I've just had a child, you know."

They both watched the child in thought, each preparing themselves for a different task for the child. Maleficent, searching for a name for her beloved daughter and Laila, waiting to present the child with her fate. Just before either could utter another word to the other, the door to the room they lay in was ripped off its hinges by a team of knights. The women froze, not sure what to make of this new company. All they knew for sure was something terrible was to happen.

A young King walked in, scanning the room with danger in his eyes. It had been far too long since he had been inside this disastrous place, and it would only be a few minutes more until he'd never have to see it again.

"You do not belong here. This place is sacred to the faeries on-…" Laila's protests were cut short by a dagger piercing straight through her heart. Her eyes were frozen with shock as she crumpled to the floor, her life leaving her before she hit the ground.

"Laila!" Maleficent screamed, looking up at the King in horror. "You… How could you come back here and do this to me? You swore you'd never come back to this place again, Stefan!"

"You never told me you were going to give birth to /my/ child, Maleficent. I've come to take what is mine." He growled, watching the woman pathetically.

He quickly ripped the sleeping child from her grasp, watching the child with interest. It looked almost nothing like its mother except for thin traces of auburn curls and the faintest point of the ear. All things that could be explained away by the young King's craftiness. He knew exactly how to keep people from questioning the baby girl.

"You can't take her from me, Stefan. You never once cared for me while I carried her these nine months. What makes you think you can swoop in now and claim something you never once wanted?" She snapped.

"My wife is unable to bear children, dear Mal. It seems only fair that I take my heir from where I've sown my seed." He smirked, gently rocking the baby girl in his arms. "In all fairness to you, she's quite a beautiful child. We did a good job." He laughed, walking out and leaving the woman to fume over his cruelty.

He got into his carriage, carefully setting the child down in a basket filled with fine silks and furs. The child would never know the discomforts Stefan assumed she would know as the poor faerie's daughter.

"Once we've brought the child home, we must immediately prepare a christening for the girl. I want to make sure the Kingdom thinks this child to be Leah's and not that of a filthy creature like that woman, do you hear me, boy?" He said to his trusted servant who sat across from him, watching the baby nervously.

"Y-Yes, my lord. I will definitely see that it is done right away, your highness." The poor boy stammered. "Your highness, what will you call the child?"

Stefan looked down at the baby, thinking carefully for a few minutes before looking back to his servant again.

"I'll call her Aurora."


	2. Out Of Harm's Way

The week after the young child was brought into the world, a christening was set by Stefan. He meant to show the world that the child was his and his wife's and claim her forever from her birth mother. No one was ever to know that she was born of a faerie woman for magic was severely forbidden in the realm.

Stefan and his wife watched with pride as festivities took place and gifts were given to the beautiful child. Small toys and gifts of gold and silver were laid in front of the ornate golden cradle the baby was placed in. Nothing short of perfection was to be given to the Princess of the most powerful King in the land. The people were more than happy to give her their most precious possessions and anything they could afford to provide her with.

Just as all seemed to be well, a group of three women made their way to the child. The eldest of the women, looked toward the King with disgust. The other two kept their eyes to the ground, but it was obvious all three of them shared some sort of hatred for King Stefan.

"Who are you?" He demanded of the women, hand reaching for his sword. "What right have you to disturb us on this most joyous day?"

"I am Deveri, high priestess of the Faeries." She sneered, "You have brought an abomination into this world and I shall not let this creature poison the realms. She will suffer the hatred from others and isolation from the world. My gift to this child will be that on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger and meet with death. That is a far more generous gift than any gold piece you could ever give her."

Leah gasped in horror, rushing to pull the child into her arms. Though she knew it was not her baby, she could not fathom the idea of losing the little girl. She was the closest thing to a daughter that she would ever have and she couldn't lose her.

"Guards!" Stefan shouts, getting up. "Arrest this woman on accounts of treason!"

The Faeries laughed and immediately disappeared from the room, their purpose fulfilled. The child would die and they would not have a threat to their reign over the whole of the Faerie realm.

Nervously, a fourth Faerie stepped out from behind a curtain, watching the King and Queen. She, unlike the others, did not wish ill on the child. She wanted to do what she could to protect the baby from their harsh judgement. Though there was little she could do, she would do it anyway.

"Y-Your highness, I… I too have a gift for the child." She bit down on her lip, playing shyly with a lavender curl. "On her sixteenth birthday, she will not suffer this horrid death but instead she shall sleep a thousand years. It… It's the best I can do. Please forgive me, your highness."


	3. Perfect Strangers Rarely Meet

Fifteen years flew by with boredom for the young Princess. She was never allowed to leave the palace, nor was she allowed to partake in any activities that may cause her harm, specifically things with sharp objects. She never understood why, but she contented herself for the most part with the fact that at least she had some good things in her life. She would sometimes roam the castle, hoping to find some secret room that she had never been in before, but every day she was disappointed with the fact that she had seen everything her home had to offer.

On the days she wasn't wandering about the castle, she was standing out on her balcony with a book or some paints. Her only adventures were found within the strokes of a brush or the pages of a book. She often wondered what it would be like to see the things the heroes in her books did. She wanted to be able to explore and meet new people, but she was confined to this luxurious prison in which she was the only one held captive.

Her sixteenth birthday was swiftly approaching, and with each passing day, the servants and her father grew more and more anxious. Whenever she asked what the matter was, she would be brushed off and they would say it was nothing to be concerned about. This only made her feel more concerned, but she realised she wouldn't be told the truth and there was nothing she could do about the issue.

A week before her sixteenth birthday, she could no longer bear the uncomfortable stiffness of the palace. She had to be out and exploring everything she had long been denied. It was decided, in her own private mind, that she would sneak out early the next morning and spend the whole day out in the town. Her father was working on private business, so she knew she would not be discovered missing unless she stayed out during the night as well.

When she woke up early that morning, she quickly donned a maid's outfit and swiftly went out through a servant's entrance. In her haste, she had forgotten shoes, but as far as she was concerned, they were unnecessary for her travels. She was only going to town after all. She didn't possibly see how it was needed for her to have them on.

She hurried into the nearest town called Hythe, looking curiously at all the shops and the people already beginning chore-filled days. What must it be like, she thought to herself, to be up so early and doing such plain things as the servants do?

As she made her way down the streets, she noticed a woman and three small children, shaking from the cold and begging for food or money. She frowned deeply, watching them for a moment. She didn't see how they could be in such a terribly sad condition when there were so many homes in the town. She had been told that they lived in the most prosperous Kingdom in the lands, and yet here was this family struggling to live one day.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked the woman, smiling as kindly as she could.

"D-Do you have any money to spare, Miss?" She pleaded, looking at the Princess with sorrowful eyes.

"I might have something." She responded, carefully pulling open a small pouch she had brought with her.

Slowly, she procured a handful of gold coins and handed them down to the woman who looked shocked. The woman had never seen so much money before in her life, and now she was being given it by a perfect stranger.

"Th-Thank you, Miss. I owe you my life for this kindness," She whispered, smiling faintly. "You have saved me and my children from starvation."

"I would not like for my people to suffer." She responded, smiling warmly before disappearing down the street without another word. She had so much more to see, and very little time to see it all.

She wandered as far as she dared, seeing bakeries and dress shops and all sorts of wonderful little places she had only read about. Her favorite part was when she discovered the stables, watching in awe as a young foal took its first few steps. It was a beautiful, caramel colored creature with hair the color of golden silk. She slowly walked forward, wanting to know more about these strange creatures.

"You look like you've never seen a horse before," A voice said from behind her.

She turned around in surprise, looking upon a gentle faced man with a smug smile across his lips. His hair was tousled as if he had never seen a comb before, and his eyes were the color of a winter chilled sea. Having never seen a man besides her father before, she was timid and taken aback by the kind stranger in front of her.

"I-I've only seen them in story books, sir. I… I normally am not allowed to be out much." She bit her lip, gently curtseying to the man. "My name is Aurora. What's yours?"

"Aurora?" He raised an eyebrow, smiling. He knew exactly who she was, and wasn't surprised then that she knew nothing of the world around her. "My name is Phillip. It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."


	4. Swan Song

Aurora smiled nervously at the stranger in front of her. He reminded her of something from a story book. Something about him both excited and frightened her. Such a man should not have existed but for the pleasure of a free woman, and there she was as less than a slave to her own family's wishes.

"Tell me, Miss, what brings you here to town? Surely you didn't come here just to watch the horses," He laughed.

She blushed faintly, biting down on her lip as she listened to his words. In all honesty, she didn't know much about why she had come. She had been so severely desperate to see more than just the palace walls that she had to escape them in order to have some happiness in her life. She believed, in that moment, that perhaps she had found, with this man, exactly what she was looking for.

"I was taking a stroll through town, that's all. I need to stretch my legs sometimes, just as any other person." She whispers.

"I see," He hummed, watching the Princess with interest, "And they agreed to let you out completely unattended like this? I am surprised by the bravery of your family."

Phillip leaned back against the edge of the stables, smiling in amusement. He wanted to know what sort of excuses the young woman had for her escape from the palace. Of all people for her to run into, he was the only one who knew she should never have left the palace for fear of her own life.

He scanned the gentle, china doll face that appeared as if it had never seen the sun once in its life. Then his eyes wandered across the delicate skin of her swan-like neck and across to her purple clad shoulder. Slender arms extended from slim shoulders, ending in the most delicate hands to ever exist on a woman. She was the most beautiful woman in the world, and it excited him to think that he had a chance now to win her over for his own.

"Admittedly, my father does not know I have left the palace, and I doubt he should realize it for quite some time. He is a man drowned in his own work and troubled by his pen. He'd sooner spend time with his desk and his papers than with the flesh and blood of his own descendant." She sighed heavily.

"Ah, that is what I thought." He chuckled and shakes his head, advancing toward her. "Well, since you have rebelled to the fullest extent a child could, Princess… I'd like to offer you a ride upon my trustworthy stallion, Samson here." He pointed over to a beautiful grey horse the colour of snowfall.

Aurora gasped in surprise, looking over the horse with an awestruck smile. Here she was, taking to a perfect stranger and being offered the opportunity of a lifetime. She knew she had no choice but to accept the tantalizing offer.

"I would like that very much, good sir." She smiled happily, biting down on her lip. "I've never ridden such a majestic creature before. I'm afraid I'm going to need some help, if that is alright?"

The young man smiled and nodded, making his way over to the horse. His only possession he had brought with him after war had plagued his country, Samson was the sole reminder that he had once been a Prince. He had once had everything that he could need, and now he was a sojourner in the land of his future bride. Hopefully, he could still convince her to be his.

He helped her onto the horse, smoothening out her skirts so she wouldn't be uncomfortable during the ride. He wanted her to be as happy as possible while they made this small journey together across the forest near town. Carefully, he climbed up after her and urged the horse forward at a slow pace so as not to frighten the Princess.

"Are you doing well, your highness?" He asked, smiling at her gently.

She nodded faintly, watching as they entered the green vastness of the forest. Everything was so full of life; she almost dreaded the thought of ever leaving. It was the most peaceful thing she had ever experienced in her life. It felt like the dreams she often had in the past, and now it was a reality she was savoring while she could.

Suddenly, the horse had a terrible fright as a flash of dark magic struck right in front of the happy pair. Phillip and Samson remained close together, the latter being clung to by the former. Aurora screamed in panic as she was thrown from the horse, falling a few feet away. Her head struck against a rock violently and darkness fell across her as she slipped into unconsciousness. Just then, midnight struck in the town and the sleeping Princess was now sixteen and soon to face her fate.


	5. Wedding Bells

Phillip stared at the scene in horror, racing over to the unconscious woman. Blood trickled down her pale forehead, making her look the victim of a more sinister crime. He could feel her still breathing, sighing in relief. At least he knew she would be lucky enough to survive the encounter. He quickly picked her up, cradling her in his arms and heading to his horse.

"Please, please be okay…" He whispered to himself, draping her delicately over the horse and hurrying back toward town.

He ran to the physician's home, knocking frantically upon the door. He couldn't bear to watch the colour drain from her any longer. Sighing with relief when the door opened, he rushed Aurora inside the building and carefully set her down upon the small couch in the home.

"Please help her, Doctor. I… I can't lose her like this." He looked desperately at the man in front of him. "We were riding in the forest when something like dark lightning struck. It frightened the horse and threw her. I don't know what else to do, so I hurried over here as soon as I could."

"Calm, Phillip, calm. We'll get her all sorted out in no time." He gestures over to a small bench, "Feel free to wait here. I shouldn't take so long. It's a small cut."

He quietly made his way over to Aurora, checking her for any other injuries before carefully cleaning out the wound. If he was correct, as he often was, she would be fine within the next few hours. He glanced over to watch Phillip's pacing, a faint smile crossing his lips.

"She's the one, isn't she? The one you swore up and down was the woman you were going to marry?" He asked gently, watching the nervous young man.

Phillip nodded shyly, biting down on his lip. He recalled several occasions in which he boasted about marrying the beautiful porcelain Princess who never left her palace. Now, here she was in front of him, and he was powerless to help her.

"If she survives this…" He smiled nervously, "I hope I will marry her. If she will have me, that is. I know I'm not half of what I used to be, but I think I should still be enough."

"She will survive, Phillip. You needn't think the worst of every situation that should happen to you. I know you've had poor times, but she is the key to your future, your happiness… You'll be right as rain soon, I promise you." The doctor hugs him gently, smiling a bit.

"Johnathan, I'm terrified. What if she refuses me because I'm no longer a Prince? What if… What if her father refuses to accept me as a son-in-law? There are so many concerns and I don't know how I'm going to cope if I can't win their favor. I have loved her since I was a child, though not nearly as much as I feel for her now, Johnathan."

Johnathan walks over, gently touching his shoulder and offering the kindest smile he could afford.

"It will be fine, Phillip. You should start planning that proposal now though, my friend." He smiled faintly, biting his lip.

"Why now?" He questioned shyly.

"Because she's up now…" He grinned, motioning over to the young woman whose eyes were slowly coming open again.

Phillip ran over to her side, gently taking her hand into his. His beloved angel seemed hardly phased by what happened to her, watching him shyly. All he could hope was that there were no damages that would prohibit their happiness in any way.

Aurora slowly sat up, eyes just faintly clouded with confusion. She glanced around the room, looking at Phillip and the doctor. Her eyebrows furrowed with worry and she looked to Phillip again.

"Is everything alright, sir? I… I can't remember what happened. I know… We were outside and now we're here. What has happened?" She asked nervously.

"Shh..." Phillip gently kissed her hand, soothing her hair back. "Everything is alright Princess, but one thing tortures my mind. I pray you'll answer me."

"Anything, sir, anything. I will try my best to answer you." She smiled faintly.

He cleared his throat, preparing himself. This was the hardest thing for him to do, but he knew it would make them both happiest in the end. All she had to do was say yes, and their forever would start. He would know true bliss, and that's all he wanted.

"My beautiful Princess, the love of all who see her, the swan of the palace…" He smiled, gently taking her hand. "Will you be my bride?"

"I…" Aurora gasped eyes wide with surprise. A soothing smile crossed over her lips and she nodded slowly, "Yes. Yes I will marry you."

"Well, isn't this just sweet…" An all too familiar voiced sneered from the corner.


	6. Thanks For The Memories

Phillip immediately drew Aurora close, his free hand reaching down for the sword dangling over his right hip. He had heard that voice, but never while he was conscious. He had always been fast asleep when those sickly sweet notes fell upon his ears. Now, he knew they were not just a nightmare he could blink away once morning came. This was the Faerie who had fallen from grace for giving birth to a Halfling child.

"You stay away from my fiancée." He growled softly at the wicked woman as she began to approach them. "You have no reason to be here, and I will not hesitate to kill you if you even begin to think of hurting anyone. You have no power here, especially not over us."

"Right, because true love is going to save you. Is that what you really think? Love is going to save you from the big, bad Faerie that everyone blames for things that were never her fault?" Maleficent laughed softly, looking the couple over in amusement. She instantly recognized her own daughter, but knew that she would never get her as long as the love-struck Prince was around. "Love is useless. It will only hurt you when you need it most."

She takes a step closer to the pair and stops, frowning slightly. Somehow she was unable to get any closer to her beloved child. She realised it must have been the Faeries who had cast her out for her mistake. They had done everything they could to make sure she could never be with her daughter. It would only be a matter of time, she thought, before she would destroy them for their wicked crimes against her.

"What a sad thing to say." Aurora piped up quietly, carefully moving from Phillip's arms and looking at the woman. The woman who looked so much like her and she just didn't understand why. She had never been told the truth about her mother. "Someone must have hurt you in a terrible way. You think the only way to feel better is to hurt others…"

"I don't think you understand me. That man you cling to like a dying breath hasn't just enchanted you, you know. Every pretty young lady he sees falls under his spell. He seduces them and tells them he will be with them and then he crushes them when he finds another girl or one of them gets suspicious. Sometimes there's more than one, you know. Filthy men like him can't stay satisfied with just one girl all the time. But of course he only picks the naïve ones that won't believe that he would really do that to them."

Aurora sniffles and looks up at Phillip, eyes wide with disbelief. She simply couldn't believe what she was hearing, but it sounded so real that she was immediately filled with doubt. What if she wasn't the only one that Phillip had sworn himself to? And if it was true, how many girls had he sworn himself too? She immediately turns to face him, frowning deeply in concern.

"Is… Is this true? Have you really got other girls besides me?" She takes a step back, unsure why the doubt had so heavily rooted itself in her head. It was like suddenly there was no hope of happiness when she looked upon the man that she had thought she loved only moments before.

"Actually, just… don't answer that. I don't want to know what disgusting things you do. I don't want to know what girl you hurt just to propose yourself to me temporarily. This ends here and now and I will not see you again, do you understand? I will send papa's guards after you if you so much as think about stepping foot near the castle."

She took a few stumbling steps away from him, tears springing to her eyes. The pain of heartbreak simply felt like more than she could take. She had never known such a love before, and didn't think she would ever want to feel it again. Before she could let herself be fooled again, she sprinted out the door and back toward the inviting castle. Her home where she was protected from the wicked sin of man. A sin that she didn't even know was false, and was only placed in her mind by the magic of her mother.

She ran to her room and fell to her bed, her soft curls covering her face as she sobbed freely. She felt deceived by the beautiful man, and only wished she could forget her pain. Then she remembered. There was a vial in her father's office that was said to erase the memories of whatever caused one pain. If she took it, she could pretend that Phillip never existed and move on with her life. That was all she really wanted. She wanted to know that she could continue on in life without the misery of a lost love.

Within minutes, she was standing inside her father's office, the thin vial encased within her delicate hand. The amber liquid inside twisted and moved almost as if it were alive and begging her to take a sip. One sip and all of her troubles would be over once and for all. She swallowed thickly, uncorking the small vial and tipping it up to her soft pink lips. Her eyes flashed a soft golden colour before settling back down into their violet colour.

She looked around the office and then down at the vial with a soft frown, wondering why she was holding such a lethal thing. Surely there was nothing so importantly horrific in her life that she would have to forget it. She shrugged her shoulders and wandered back toward her room, pulling the foreign gold band off of her finger. Maybe it was her mother's, she thought to herself. She set the small gold band down on the bedside table, carefully lying herself down on the faintly soaked sheets from unknown tears and let herself fall into a dreamless sleep, unaware of what she had done.


	7. On My Own

The next morning, Aurora woke to a cheerful blue sky and a burgundy silk dress lying on her chair in front of her vanity. She smiled peacefully and carefully sat up, stretching out before standing up slowly. The day seemed strange as if something should have been there that wasn't, but she couldn't place her finger on what it was. Maybe it was really nothing at all and her mind was simply overreacting. She couldn't exactly say, but she didn't want to bother herself with the issue very long. Instead, she put on the beautiful gown and made her way downstairs to have a nice breakfast with her father and his advisor, Rubeus.

When she arrived downstairs, she was alarmed to find only Rubeus sitting at the table. Her father's chair was vacant except for a dyed black rose lying on his plate. Aurora knew that could only mean one thing: Her father had died. Her fist went to her mouth as tears fell from her eyes, streaming like waterfalls down her thin cheeks. This couldn't be happening to her today of all days. Today was supposed to be the day they hosted a grand ball for her birthday. They always had the ball six days before her birthday, though this one was going to be a grand one in which everyone was invited. Now, that ball was not going to happen on the account of her father's passing.

"I'm afraid your father passed during the night, Princess." Rubeus said solemnly, looking up at her with the most serious of expressions. Yet, something about the way he was looking at her seemed wrong. It was almost as if he were telling a joke, but hiding it behind the sadness of mourning.

"How did this happen? Papa was in the finest condition when I saw him last. How could he possibly have died?" She asked quietly, obviously concerned and afraid to know the answer.

"We have come to believe the King was poisoned during the night by some unknown assassin and they got away without anyone spotting them. No one knows how or why this happened, and I'm so terribly sorry. We will find this imbecile and traitor to the crown as soon as we can."

Aurora sniffled quietly, staring down at her feet with a weak whimper. The only family she had was gone now, and it was the worst agony she had ever had the misfortune to experience. She didn't have the experience or the confidence to lead her people, and she didn't have a husband who could protect her people for her. She had been left on her own all because of some horrible person who had ripped her family apart and for no reason.

"No." She whispered quietly, her eyes dark with anger. "I will find this rat on my own, and I will slay him with his own sword if I can manage it. This stranger is a danger and a coward, and I will not sit around to have my own head threatened by their murderous ways."

Without another word to Rubeus, she stormed out of the palace and made her way into the city to find the person who killed her father. Little did she know, she had just left the culprit alone in her palace to cast his plot against her kingdom completely.


	8. We're Alone Now

Aurora quietly stalked into the town just beyond her castle walls, keeping a veil to her face in order to mask who she was. If her assailant happened to be in the town, she couldn't risk him knowing it was her right away. She wanted the element of surprise to be on her side for this important task.

As she walked down the busy streets, she kept looking around for anyone who appeared to be suspicious. When she noticed a dark haired male sneaking into a barn, she immediately put it into her mind that he was the one who had killed her father. This was the man who had destroyed her life and changed everything. Carefully, she snuck into the barn after the male, making sure she stayed out of sight until she knew exactly how she was going to confront this man.

"I know I said I was gonna get you out of here today, Samson, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to get the money." The male said quietly, stroking the dark mane of a horse. "Oh don't look at me like that, Samson. It's not my fault that happened to us. I'll try my best to get the money, okay?"

The horse let out a discontented snort, clearly not satisfied with the results of his owner. All he really wanted was to run from the barn with the young male, and return to the palace where they belonged.

Aurora, growing annoyed by the young man speaking to a horse, stalked slowly toward him. Now was a better time than any to confront the man she was certain killed her father. She pulled out a dagger from her belt, putting it up against the man's throat. It was very obvious she didn't handle weaponry often, but when the man felt the blade to his neck, he didn't dare more for fear of injury.

"Who are you, and why did you kill my father?" She hissed into the man's ear, gripping onto the dagger as tightly as she could manage.

The male froze when he heard the female's voice, recognizing it automatically. It was the beautiful young woman he had fallen in love with who had been ripped from him by the vicious faerie. He was overjoyed until he realised that the woman clearly had no idea who he was. Maybe she just hadn't seen his face yet and this was all just a big misunderstanding.

"My love, it's me…" He whispered softly, a small smile lacing his face. "It's Phillip, your fiancé. I haven't killed anyone and I never would. You know that, don't you?"

Aurora scoffed, putting the dagger tighter against the male's throat. She didn't recall getting engaged to anyone, especially not a commoner who seemed to have lost all his money in one way or another. She refused to believe this strange man's lies.

"I am not engaged, you silly fool. Even if I was, I would never marry myself to you." She snapped viciously at Phillip. "And I know you killed my father. How could it have been anyone else?"

"Aurora, I swear to you that I am a good man. I may be a terrible gambler when I am upset, but I am not a murderer. I haven't been anywhere near your father, and that's the truth." He slowly turned around and grabbed her wrists, making sure she couldn't attack him with the dagger. "I need you to believe me, Aurora. I am too in love with you to have ever hurt you in this way. Everything you may have been told is false, I swear it."

The young princess grunted and struggled, desperate to get away from the male so she might have the upper hand again. How dare this nobody attack her like this! She was the Princess, and she couldn't stand that someone lower than her was far stronger in skill.

"Quit acting like we were in love, farm boy. I have never seen you before in my life." She growled softly, trying harder to pull her wrists away from the male's hands. Though as hard as she fought, she felt part of her wanting to stay close to the strange boy. She felt like maybe she did know him, but she wouldn't dare admit it to him.

Phillip let out a heavy sigh, realizing she must be under some sort of curse. Nothing else could explain the aggressive behavior and the fact that she had no idea who he was. Hoping he was correct, he knew the only way to reverse a curse like this would be true love's kiss. As far as he was concerned, their love was truer than she remembered, so he had to pray this would work. He slowly leaned in and pressed her to the wall, kissing her gently and lovingly.

"What are you-…?" She let out a surprised squeal when Phillip leaned in to kiss her, but her eyes slowly fluttered close as she began to remember who he was. This truly was her beloved Prince Phillip who loved her more dearly than anything else in the world. "Oh Phillip, I… I am so sorry for what I have done. I lost my head and I… My father has died and I do not know who killed him. I need your help."

Phillip gave her a worried smile, nodding softly. "I will help you, Aurora. You know I will always help you."

He gave her one more deep kiss before leading her out of the stables, holding her waist close. He was worried about the fact that she had been searching for a killer on her own, but he felt better now that he would be there to help her. She wasn't going to go through all of this alone now.

"Are you sure it wasn't somebody at the palace, my love?" He asks her with a worried smile, stroking her hair back behind her ear.

"They wouldn't dare hurt papa." She says with a deep frown, hugging herself tightly. She was doubtful that her own words were true, but she had to find out. "Would they?"


	9. Faerie Slumber

The pair walked along the streets in silence for some time, each contemplating the severity of the situation at hand. On one hand, the King was dead which meant an ever pressing need for Aurora to marry herself to a Prince, and on the other hand, she was still faced with the dilemma of her father's murderer running free. Although she had a love for Phillip unlike anything she had ever known, she still wasn't ready to accept that her marriage would then mean she became Queen of all that had once been her father's. She didn't feel even remotely ready to take on such a difficult task at a time like that.

"You're awfully quiet, my love." Phillip said gently, touching Aurora's hand with the gentlest care. He knew she must be grieving terribly, but he also knew it was in her best interest to remain strong. Time was of the essence, and he wanted to take care of her enough to get her through it all. "Is there anything I can help you with? You know I would go through Hell just to see you through all of this. I love you too much to let you hurt."

"Phillip, have you ever felt as though you were in a pit, and no matter how hard you tried, the pit just got deeper and you fell further? Each step up was really twenty steps backward. That is the reality of losing my father, and I don't know that I can ever feel alive again." Tears began to brim in her eyes, and she quickly moved to hold onto her beloved Phillip. She was alone in the world except for him.

"I can't say I have, Princess. But know this, that I will help you find this murderer." He whispered.

He carefully took her to an inn and got them a room, sitting her down upon the soft bed. It wasn't the nicest of rooms, but he couldn't allow Aurora to go back in that castle until he had some sort of plan for how he would assist her in finding the man responsible for all of her pain and suffering. Carefully stepping around the bed, he removed her cloak from her shoulders and laid it down on the bed beside where she sat.

"You wait here, my love. I'll go down and get us some supper and then you need to get some rest. Everything will work out for the best soon; we just need to have patience." He gently leaned over and kissed her head, smiling down at her. "Will you be alright on your own for a few minutes?"

"I-I think I can manage it." She whispered in reply, staring down at her pale palms as if they weren't her own. She felt like she was looking down at someone else's body, and her own had vanished into nowhere. She was nothing, but she couldn't let him know she felt that way.

"I promise you I won't be long." He smiled weakly, quickly rushing downstairs to get their meal.

Almost as soon as Aurora was left alone in the room, a hazy darkness began to surround her. Something inhuman had been waiting, and now was taking it's time to strike. A young woman began to materialize before Aurora, with a golden spinning wheel beside her.

"Touch the wheel, my dear, and all of your fears and dreams will be put in their proper place." The woman whispered, her voice hypnotic and alluring to the already drowsy blonde. Aurora slowly inched forward with an outstretched hand, and within seconds was unconscious on the floor of the inn, undiscovered by any as the town slowly succumbed to her curse.


	10. What's Next

A hundred years passed on seamlessly for the sleeping beauty. No one discovered her, and if anyone knew she existed, they hardly cared at all. Occasionally it was rumored that a certain inn had a beautiful young Princess inside whose lover had left her alone long enough that she may be cast into a dark sleep. Most thought it to be nothing but fiction, but some chose to believe it may really be true.

Along the hundred years, the Prince's brother had been married and produced a son, who also produced a son, and on and on until a hundred years later a young Prince named Phillip was let out into the world. He decided he would discover if the rumors of the sleeping princess were true, hoping to honor the Prince from long ago which he was named after. If anyone could wake this maiden from her slumber, it would surely be him.

He put his sword within its sheath and packed a month's worth of food within his pack. If he had not found her within the month, he would return home and marry as his mother wished although he had no intention of marrying the woman of her choice. This sleeping creature was the only woman for him, though he didn't understand why he felt such a longing to be with her. Quickly, the young Prince mounted a beautiful auburn-colored horse and rode off, making sure to take the less used paths he came across. If she were on a well-known path, someone would surely have discovered her by now. So on and on he rode, through storm and wind, sometimes not even taking a break. All he wanted was to find the beautiful maiden of legend and prove once and for all that she was real and that she would be his.

Within two weeks of his journey, he found himself in a town that appeared to be completely devoid of life. No children ran about the streets, no beggars sat on corners asking for coppers or bread. It was almost as if the town was frozen, but upon further inspection from the young Prince, he discovered everyone in the town was asleep.

 _They appeared to have fallen asleep during everyday activities_ , he thought to himself.

Then it struck him that perhaps this was the legendary town in which the Princess was asleep in, and it had merely affected everyone else around her. Perhaps for fear that she should be alone when she woke up, or perhaps the faerie who cursed her was more wicked than the stories said. He worked up his courage and walked into the bar, surprised to see a woman sitting at a table and idly stirring tea in a mug. She was the only one awake in the whole town aside from him, and that made him uneasy.

"I imagine you're here for the Princess, yes?" She asked calmly, not even looking up at the young man who entered.

"Y-Yes," He swallowed thickly, taking a nervous step toward the woman with a hand gripping his sword. "My name is Phillip. I mean her no harm; I simply wish to… see her and perhaps wake her from her wicked enchantment."

The woman let out a sigh of relief and stood up, crossing over to him and embracing him suddenly. Finally, after all of these years, someone had come to save the young Princess. He seemed to bear the name and resemblance of the Prince who had once loved her as well, which only made her joy greater.

"My daughter has waited many years for you to come along and free her. I would have done it myself years ago but her father turned her against me before she could ever have known me. You must help her as quickly as you can, my boy." She whispered frantically, quickly ushering him up toward the room.

Phillip was shocked by the whole encounter, looking back at the woman as she pulled him along toward his destiny. There were so many questions, but he hadn't the time to ask them all.

"How are you awake, Miss? I was under the impression that the whole kingdom was asleep so long as the Princess was."

"Faeries can't fall prey to sleeping curses. Especially when I'm the one who invented them." She sighed softly and shook her head, thinking about everything that had gone wrong. "But my fellow faeries took those spells from me and used them to harm my daughter because of what she is. Born of human and faerie, she is more dangerous and special than anything this world has ever seen. But you will be her savior and make her happy, won't you?"

Phillip looked down as they reached the room, staring at the unconscious Princess with such love and joy that he knew his answer right away.

"I will."

With those two short words, he knelt down beside the sleeping Princess and gently pulled her into a kiss. There was silence for a few minutes before Aurora let out a sharp gasp of air and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at the Prince, a confused expression settling there in her eyes.

"Phillip?" She whispered softly.

"It's me, my love." He smiled, pulling her into another kiss while Maleficent quietly turned to leave the two alone.


	11. Slowly Drifting

Soon after rescuing his fair Aurora, they were married in a quaint little church to avoid answering any questions about who she was. Many didn't even believe she was a real person, let alone still young enough to wed the young Prince. After the marriage was deemed official, he took her to his palace where they could begin their new life together and be truly happy.

Alas, the young woman often didn't feel at home in the new world. Everything was more advanced than she remembered it, and she often found herself confused when trying to do things that had once been so simple to her. Even the dresses Phillip bought for her were newer with less corsets and new styles. It felt more and more like she wasn't supposed to be there at all, despite Phillip's promises that this was all meant to be.

A week after their marriage, Aurora was sitting quietly on their balcony, a garland of silver leaves held tightly between her pale hands. They had been having a banquet to celebrate their marriage, but Aurora found that she was never quite hungry enough to eat anything. She had left that night's dinner early just like she had all the other nights, deciding to spend some time in the summer moonlight.

"They say you are named after the dawn, yet I never saw you more beautiful than you are here in the light of the moon." Phillip whispered gently as he came up behind her with a small plate of strawberries and cream.

"I brought these here for you because I noticed you haven't eaten much. I'm worried about you my darling. What's troubling you?"

Aurora smiled nervously up at her husband, gently taking the plate from him and shaking her head. She didn't want him to think she was unhappy simply because she didn't understand the way things worked, but she also didn't want to keep it all bottled inside her anymore. She needed to let him know why she was so distant most of the time.

"My love, I want you to know I am forever glad to have been rescued by you, and I love you more than I've loved anyone in my whole life. It's just that being here, seeing all of the new advancements in the world…. I don't belong. I feel frightened that someone will realise what is wrong with me, and use that to their advantage. I couldn't bear to lose you over something like this. That's all."

Phillip smiled in understanding, wrapping his arms around his beloved. He had always known how she felt, and had tried his best to help her, but he knew this was something that would take time.

"I understand, my darling. Why don't you go ahead and eat these strawberries and then we'll go to bed, alright? You'll feel much better as time goes on."

Aurora let out a timid giggle and nods, quietly nestling against him as she focused on eating the fruit. It felt nice to have some food in her stomach again, but the worry that was settled there was still high. When she was finished with the strawberries, she gave Phillip a small nod before standing up.

"Alright, my darling, let's go to bed." She whispered, following her husband into their bedroom.

The couple quietly got ready for bed, and crawled under the covers, Aurora tucked into her beloved's arms. She quietly pressed a kiss to his collarbone, squeezing her eyes shut in thought. She just had to keep reminding herself that tomorrow was another day and everything would be just fine.

"I love you..." She whispered quietly, nestling her head against his chest.

"And I, you, my darling." Phillip replied before the pair of them drifted off into a deep sleep.

They awoke sometime later to find everything was darker than it should have been. Surrounding them were the four paneled walls of a wooden chest, and wrapped around their wrists and ankles were ropes with weights attached. Water was up to their ankles, and Phillip quickly realised their situation. They were under water.

Aurora let out a frightened little yelp, looking at Phillip in terror.

"Ph-Phillip what's going on? Where are we?" She pleaded, shaking. She knew that nothing good could come from this, but she had to hope he could save them.

'Drowning,' Phillip thought to himself, closing his eyes for a moment. 'I've married the love of my life, and now I'm drowning.'

"Nothing." He answered quietly, "Just stay close to me. Everything is going to be fine."

He shifted so he could lean against the side of the box with her resting on his chest once again. As she sobbed, the water rose higher and he only prayed that someday he'd find her again. In some time, in some place, he'd be with her once more and they would forget the hell they'd gone through in that box in the middle of the ocean.

~Some years later~

In a small town, in an even smaller apartment, a young couple was having an Easter party with some of their friends. They smiled and laughed as a young boy ran about with a little toddler chasing at his heels.

"Phiwwip, I wanna play!" The girl shrieked, laughing.

"Go away, Aurora! I only play with bigger kids." Phillip pouted at the child, running over to his parents. "Tell her to go away."

"Now Phillip, you know you should be nice to Aurora. She's a family friend to us, isn't that right Sebastian?" His mother looked up to his father, a small smile crossing her lips.

"That's absolutely right. Maybe you'll even marry one day." He chuckled, watching as Phillip wrinkled his nose and ran off to play.


End file.
